The Birdhouse

Look who made the papers!

2009-10-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Or should I say, magazine. Specifically, Do It Yourself Magazine - a Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication - available at Home Depot, and perhaps at your local news stand.

It's a cute magazine, and we're in great company within the article, titled, "DIY:Best in Show". What can I say, I certainly love and rely on the blogosphere - but there's something really satisfying about seeing your work on a glossy magazine page. I guess that's my preference for paper talking.

Chicago, Here We Come!

2009-09-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

Up late packing as usual before a show! Jean and I hop a plane to Chicago tomorrow to give the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair another go.

Last year we survived some brutal weather, and still did pretty well. Those Chicago shoppers are tough - willing to come out and support their crafters in flooding rain! Jean and I were impressed by the locals while we shivered in wet socks and tried to keep our books dry.

Not to jinx it, but the weather report is calling for the good stuff - so here's to dry socks and Fall Hoodies, and we hope to see you in Chicago!

Summer Urban Craft Uprising!

2009-07-29T02:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend we'll be at the first Summer Urban Craft Uprising (UCU) indie craft show!

When: Aug 1st-2nd, Sat/Sun 11am-5pm

Where: Seattle Center Exhibition Hall (map)

What: Seattle's biggest indie craft show with a wide array of handmade goods, workshops, book signing, and more!

Why: Do you really need to ask? My answer to you is....why the hell not? it's gonna be 100+ degrees in Seattle this weekend (miserable!!), and why not come hang out inside at UCU to cool off and check out awesome stuff? You can do some shopping, meet some people, and then go back out to the giant dome fountain at the Seattle Center to have more fun! I think I might even do that during my lunch break. :D

We will have some new items like these wooden plant labels for your garden or plants! Every plant needs a friend just like all of us!
Another new exciting items we're gonna have are these notebooks we're debuting at UCU! These are made with LOVELY hand printed fabric by Isabelle of Piano Nobile. We recently befriended Isabelle and Nicholas and they're wonderful enough to print these fabric in time for us to sell at the show! I'm drooling over them myself....don't worry, I'll wipe off my drool.

We'll also have tons of other items marked down, too! I mean, who doesn't like to brag about how good of a deal they got, right?AND our dear and super talented friend, Ingrid will be selling her awesome bags at our booth as well! I'm totally excited to see what she'll be bringing!

So lot of exciting things...so come by to check out our stuff and say hello!!..... and while your at it bring us some ice cone or treat, too! :D

Hope to see you there!

Meeting the Neighbors: Piano Nobile

2009-07-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Through a series of events and connections this Spring, we've been lucky to meet some nearby and very talented neighbors! Isabelle and Nickolas, founders of Piano Nobile are a short bike ride away from us in Ballard - and we have some exciting things brewing with them.

If you're in Ballard this Friday or Saturday, stop by Piano Nobile's home/studio for a Summer Studio Sale. Part of the City Stimulus event running all week to encourage folks to shop local - it's a great opportunity to do a little shopping and check out a stellar transformation in the Ballard industrial zone. Prepare yourself to get incredibly jealous of PN's space, talent, resources, furnishings, dog, Vanagon, and Volvo. The sale features handmade goods by some fantastic local designers and we feel flattered to be included in such a group.
We met with Isabelle last Monday. Over coffee, berries, and coffee cake - we decided to do some collaborating! Isabelle has been printing her own textiles for home and personal accessories, so her scrap bin contains a lot of high quality fabrics. The following pictures feature the various patterns and pieces she gave us, and what we did with them.

Anyone want a silk dupioni notebook? Perhaps taffeta or linen is more your style? These beauties make their debut at the Piano Nobile Studio Sale and are just the teaser for what we have in store for the Fall!

Piano Nobile Studio Sale
Fri&Sat July 17th&18th
11am - 6pm
908 NW 50th St
Seattle WA 98107

Bleach Fun!

2009-07-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

New Chikabird bleached hoodies and track jackets! We got inspired by our friend, Dave, who used this process. We just love how every print is different with subtle variations.
We'll be selling them at the LA & SF Renegade show!

The process is pretty simple, but the result looks more than ordinary. The possibility to play with layers makes it super fun. It's easy to do and the materials needed it is so minimal that you can literally do it in couple hours. Here's a step-by-step instruction, so you can try it, too!
Step 1: Make a stencil with waterproof sheet. We used a medium weight Mylar here.
Step 2: Mix 50/50 bleach & water in a spray bottle.
Step 3: Spray back of Mylar with light adhesive spray to keep stencil secure.
Step 4: Use a the mist setting on spray bottle and try to spray evenly over the areas you want to cover. Dab any extra residue on the surface with a rag.
Step 5: Wait and watch the magic happen! You can see the color change immediately. It's so much fun to watch.
Step 6: Peel off stencil when you've achieved the result you want. The time can vary since you can play with something really subtle with less time, or let it sit longer with more contrast.
Step 7: Wash it in the washing machine right after to set the bleach so it doesn't continue the bleaching process. Ta-da, you're done!!

The best part about this process is that you can really play around with the bleaching time, layering, and even different texture. I like to overlap the stencil so it just adds another layer of visual interest.

Oh and look!! It's Hammer pants! Get it?.....it's a Hammer...with pants??
That was a little funny accident where the fold was....
Have fun!

Chikabird is going on tour!

2009-07-07T13:05:00.001-07:00

Any volunteer roadies out there? We compensate with snacks, grateful smiles, barked orders and frazzled misdirection. Ha... ha... just kidding! I think we're all set with fantastic hosting and helpers for our 10 day tour of Southern California, and have plans to meet up with friends along the way. 10 days feels like a long time to be away from Seattle in the Summertime, but here we go!

This weekend we'll be in Los Angeles for the Renegade Craft Fair! Come see us and our new sweatshirts, Patch Kits, wooden buttons, and Plant Pals(tm). These haven't made it to Etsy yet, so get 'em while they're hot! The following weekend, we'll be in lovely San Francisco for Renegade, where I'll try to set a personal record for burritos eaten in a 5 day period. Sorry Jean.

Side missions: Jesse has give us the assignment to scope out the new Intelligencia "concept store" on Venice Beach. Visiting our fave shops in the Mission - Little Otsu here we come! Any other must-do recommendations?

Chikabird in the news!

2009-06-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

OK, so we're not credited anywhere (nor did we expect to be), but it's still a thrill to see our work mentioned in blogs like Remodelista!

By working some connections (aka Jean's fella, Dylan) we did the design and prototyping of the soft goods accessories seen in the latest home wardrobe system from Henrybuilt. In short, we did the leather handles, felt accessory pockets, and laundry basket! Take a look:

Leather Drawer Pulls with hand stitched reinforcement detail

Felt Accessory Storage Pockets for the interior door rail system

Hamper Drawer with integrated basket, constructed from mesh + recycled leather

It's great to see it all together, since we were designing a little in the dark (maybe we had a desk light on ;) and knew nothing of all the other lovely details that make the system so classic and warm.

The features around the dressing area are particulary appealing - the wooden jewelry knobs, the lighting, the shaping of the sliding tray tops - ahhhh having a system like this would make me an early bird.

The Dog Days of the Birdhouse

2009-05-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

What's this?

Another satisfied customer!

Jared asked me to make a custom bed for Riley, the office mascot, and Travis' roommate. I was planning on dragging my feet a little, but Jared took up a collection at the office, did all the fabric shopping, pattern layout, printing, transferring, and cutting. All I had to do was the stitching - easiest custom project ever!

One last pic, because she's just so sweet.

Thanks to the General Assembly fellas for the fun project and the dough!

p.s. That's the General Assembly logo on the bed.

Current Fave - Green Pornos!

2009-04-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen these (very) short films by Isabella Rossellini - they are really worth watching, especially if you like the idea of animal kingdom sex-ed videos with low tech props and costumes AND Isabella Rossellini's uniquely alluring line delivery.

The randL Wallet Lives On....

2009-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

An "old school" Square Root from the first 1000 batch of wallets that Chika made (about 5 years ago!?). I believe the color was originally baby blue and red. It doesn't look anything like that now, but still looks pretty awesome nonetheless, especially with all that wear!

B-BAM!

2009-04-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

We're happy to announce that our notebooks are now available at the Bellevue Arts Museum Gift Shop! How great is that? Especially since they ordered mostly covers from our collaboration with local artists, Slow Loris.

To save on shipping and take in a little cul-cha, Jean and I decided to personally deliver the order and check out the current exhibits.

Prepare to be hypnotized by this video by Etsuko Ichikawa. It shows her process of drawing with molten glass on paper.

Traces of the Molten State from Etsuko Ichikawa on Vimeo.

It's tempting for me to use this paragraph to discuss the appeal of the organic forms resulting from such an elemental process - but I think I'd take away from the work. It's badass that she draws with liquid fire, but when the results are stunning and grand and meditative and calligraphic and visceral and remind me how much I dig skilled mark making in drawing - how can I not share a few words that come to mind?

Comment dit on... Always Sunday?

2009-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh.... le sigh.... Je veux aller a l'existence.... That's how I feel when looking at the photos of pastries and places on the French Canadian blog, Toujours Dimanche.

Oh la la.... pretty pictures of pretty things, but also a journal about opening a bakery in Quebec. A tour de force of our favorites at Chikabird: food, design, and renovation! The BEST part of Toujours Dimanche (pour moi) is that it's written bilingually in French and English. I can brush up on my rusty high school French while reading about opening a bakery. A sugar coated pill of multitasking... if you categorize blog surfing as a task... or a pill...

(p.s. When I write things like "pour moi", in my head I say it like Miss Piggy)

Bowling Collage

2009-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to improve my blogging and picture taking habits. Do and share more of both. Here's an attempt I made last Thursday, when I not only brought a camera on an outing, but also took it out of the case and used it!

I'm a terrible photographer - I have no patience for settings, and a lousy eye for composition. I have a history of filling rolls and rolls of 35mm with unmemorable, unshare-able garbage - so I also can't shake the feeling that I'm wasting even digital space with lousy pictures.

Borrowing a little from Hockney and Muybridge I tried to turn 19 bad pictures into 1 interesting one. It's funny how repetition or excessive quantity can increase appeal. It's sort of an art school trick - if you make 200 of something - you've got yourself an installation! It's a pretty good trick.

Stalking the Interwebs: The Village Mews

2009-03-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

The rabbit hole of the blogosphere can lead you all over the world, and sometimes it leads you to... yourself! And your friends, and your friends of friends, and your favorite things, and your own neighborhood!

That's where I found myself after an interview on the Design Sponge guest blog led me to google Chelsea Green's blog - The Village Mews. The Village Mews focuses on art and design in the Pacific NW - what's going on, who's doing what - with occasional mentions to other noteworthy happenings happening elsewhere.

I tend to use my blogroll as a way of mentally acquiring design and imagery from far away or long ago. One of my pitfalls is allowing the vastness of great works out there make me feel more wistful than inspired - "The Australia design scene is so cool.... So-and-so's already doing that thing I was thinking of doing.... I wish I lived in Brazil/Tokyo/Copenhagen/Cape Town.... How is that guy selling so much of THAT thing?.... I wish it was the 60's...." All very milk-toast thinking and certainly not productive.

So it was both exciting and encouraging to scroll down the Village Mews and see a lot of people and projects to which we are directly or indirectly connected, some work I'd seen online but didn't know was local, plenty of work that was news to me, and ourselves! In addition to reminding me of all the strong work in Seattle and nearby, it reminded me to not get discouraged by the vastness - but to focus on what I do in the pond I'm in.

Chelsea started The Village Mews in hopes of luring her NYC friends out for a visit. Once Summer starts, I'm sure she'll be hosting non-stop.

Under the Magnifying Glass: Ladies&Gentlemen, Iacoli&McAllister, Join: Design Seattle, Nicholas Kamuda, Justine Ashbee, Cairo

Meet Mr. Denim!

2009-03-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

I know he may look a little plain on the outside, but Mr. Denim has a great hand. Durable, accommodating, and classic. Sigh....

Green Festival in Seattle!

2009-03-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

March 28 & 29, 2009
Seattle, WA (March 2009): Green Festival, the fastest growing green consumer event in the country, returns to Seattle for the second year on March 28 & 29, 2009. The Washington State Convention and Trade Center provides the space for the festival to take its platform and bring the most cutting-edge people, ideas, and organizations on the green scene to Seattle residents and the surrounding community. Co-hosted by the city of Seattle, the 2009 Green Festival will introduce sustainable options for a transitioning economy, growing consumer consciousness, and evolving environmental policy. This year, the Green Festival will have specialized programming to address the current state of the economy with extensive discussions and information on the growing sector of green jobs.'

The Green Festival is taking place at the Seattle Convention center this weekend. It's gonna be huge! It cost $15 to get in for the day, but if you rider your bike, carpool, or take the bus, you can get in for $10. Obama will be proud of you! :D

Jean

Good stuff in the air...

2009-03-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

Not just the cherry blossoms starting up in Seattle, or the trips ahead of us in the next month, or our recent return from Hawaii (aloha, and don't hate me, mahalo).

I'm talking about great efforts made by some local folks trying to help out fellow indie biz owners in Seattle!

Jean and I attended a great workshop last night all about how to use blogging in an effective way to help and promote your business - and it got me fired up! See? An entry!

Kristen from Schmancy and Megan from Not Martha gave a talk about the dos and don'ts and good habits of good bloggers as part of an ongoing meet up/networking/workshop series in Seattle. I think it's so great that they have the desire and energy to help create this platform in our city. It's called the Grassroots Business Association, and I'm hooked! A big thank you to Kristen and Megan, and the Association for their efforts!

If you're in pdx this Sunday...

2009-02-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Come check us out at Crafty Wonderland!

I don't know if your eyeballs are sharp enough to read the back of this postcard - but the vital info is - the Doug Fir Lounge from 11am-4pm this Sunday and every 2nd Sunday for the rest of the year.

We'll be selling new/fun/Springy/unisex variations of our patch kits, notebooks, and our hoodies and jackets will be on sale!

Patch Kit Valentimes!

2009-01-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Give yourself a fun little project, and give a loved one (or again, yourself) a sweet reminder of your affection! Sweetheart Patch Kits are now available in our shop in plenty of time for Valentimes!

Choose from ten different but equally charming animal friends. Is someone you love a bear or fox or quail? Are you a squirrel?

Chika's story that she tells whenever the subject of squirrels comes up: I'm personally not too fond of squirrels because I have run over squirrels while riding my BIKE ---- TWICE. And both times they dove for my bike tires, and both times I screamed very loudly, and both times they seemed totally uninjured, while I remain traumatized to this day. BUT to bring it back to Valentimes, I learned later that they exhibit risky behavior to impress potential mates - pretty romantic, huh? Totally gross for me, but maybe that squirrel got a lady friend out of the deal.

Nesting for Winter!

2008-11-19T12:46:00.001-08:00

Chikabird is nesting for Winter with some cozy new items available in the shop!

Mamabird Nests - a great catch-all for keys and treasures - or holiday/everyday decorative display. Handwoven by my talented mom in Boston!

Linen pouches - made from supple Vera Wang linen and cute canvas prints. Handy for gathering all the necessary bits rattling around in the bottom of your bag.

Custom Monogrammed Slippers!!! - A little something fantastic Jean whipped up in the shop while my back was turned. I have my double C's on order!

Plus new patterns and prints added to our popular notebook lineup!

I know, it's almost too much.

Used Banners + Totes = BOTE

2008-11-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Chika and I just recently made a batch of reusable shopping totes using salvaged banners. We're calling them BOTES!...get it? banner totes!
We have a good amount of these banners and you can get them on our etsy for $30 each. We make each of them so that every single one possesses the unique graphics and distress marks from its previous life. Which makes them all that more appealing!

Most importantly, we like to support the reusable bag philosphy in order to lower the usage and production of plastic & paper bags. I do feel amazingly good when I whip out my own bags versus using 10 plastic bags that just rips apart right away. I hate that.

So here's to reusable shopping bags! It feels good to be good!

New randL+Slow Loris Notebooks

2008-10-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Don't they make a handsome family?

Our buddies at Slow Loris printed up some new books for us to show at POOL in August, and we finally posted them on Etsy and Supermarket.

The pocket notebook also fits a passport, so it's perfect for use as a spy sized travel journal.

News!

2008-10-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

We moved! To a great neighborhood in Seattle called Ballard. There's more to it than that - Jean and I, plus our steady fellas, bought a duplex together. Some say crazy, I say GENIUS!

We'll be trying to keep up a home improvement blog at http://www.thirtythirtytwo.blogspot.com/ - so far we've just posted an intro entry, with plenty of links to pics. Oh boy!

Now our studio is in the garage/basement of the new place. A little colder, a little less natural light, but it feels pretty cool to pay ourselves rent, and you can't beat the commute. Actually, I think I need to come up with a routine that forces me to leave the house regularly. Morning jogs to the beach? Unlikely. Afternoon walks to my favorite coffee shop? Very likely. Jean and I are highly motivated by treats, so the nearby world class pastry shop will offer some deserved (and not so deserved) rewards.

Notebooks on Poppytalk!

2008-08-13T00:33:00.001-07:00

I sent over our fabric notebook covers for Jan's back to school theme and she kindly shared it on her lovely Poppy Talk blog. Big thanks to Jan!

See us at Renegade SF!

2008-07-10T09:48:00.001-07:00

If you're in the Bay area this weekend, come check out the Renegade Craft Fair - San Francisco edition! You're sure to see some goods by the best & brightest in DIY, and the latest from us. We'll be sharing a booth with Nam Kim - who is always GREAT company. We're also looking forward to squeezing as much shopping and dining into the hours we're not (hopefully) selling.

We pretty much booked an extra day in town just so we could visit the Heath Factory Store in Sausalito. I've promised Jared to only get one small thing. We're trying out this "budget" thing I've been hearing about. It sounds like a smart thing to do but is such a shopping buzzkill.